whirl

[ hwurl, wurl ]

/ ʰwɜrl, wɜrl /

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See synonyms for: whirl / whirling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to turn around, spin, or rotate rapidly: The merry-go-round whirled noisily.

to turn about or aside quickly: He whirled and faced his pursuers.

to move, travel, or be carried rapidly along: She whirled along the freeway in her new car.

to feel as though spinning rapidly; reel as from dizziness: My head began to whirl.

verb (used with object)

to cause to turn around, spin, or rotate rapidly.

to send, drive, or carry in a circular or curving course.

to drive, send, or carry along with great or dizzying rapidity.

Obsolete. to hurl.

noun

the act of whirling; rapid rotation or gyration.

a whirling movement; quick turn or swing.

a short drive, run, walk, or the like; spin.

something that whirls; a whirling current or mass.

a rapid round of events, affairs, etc.: a whirl of meetings, conferences, and business lunches.

a state marked by dizziness or a dizzying succession of feelings, thoughts, etc.

an attempt or trial, especially one undertaken tentatively or experimentally: Even if you don't agree with my plan, won't you give it a whirl?

Machinery. whip (def. 26).

SYNONYMS FOR whirl

1 gyrate, pirouette.

1, 5 revolve, twirl, wheel.

9 spin, revolution.

15 try, go, fling, whack.

See synonyms for whirl on Thesaurus.com

QUIZZES

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Set some time apart to test your bracket symbol knowledge, and see if you can keep your parentheses, squares, curlies, and angles all straight!

Question 1 of 7

Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?

First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.

First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.

First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.

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Origin of whirl

1250–1300; Middle English whirlen<Old Norse hvirfla to whirl, akin to Old English hwyrflung turning, revolving, hwyrfel circuit; see whorl

OTHER WORDS FROM whirl

whirler, nounwhirl·ing·ly, adverboutwhirl, verb (used with object)un·whirled, adjective

Words nearby whirl

whip-tailed ray, whiptail wallaby, whip up, whipworm, whir, whirl, whirlabout, whirligig, whirligig beetle, whirling dervish, whirlpool

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for whirl

It all makes sense in the whirl of Ide’s fate-driven universe.
Joe Ide’s IQ series continues with the idiosyncratic marvel ‘Smoke’|Maureen Corrigan|February 26, 2021|Washington Post
Knowing the flame’s structure might let researchers figure out how to scale the blue whirl up to a larger size or create it without passing through the dangerous firenado stage.
Four types of flames join forces to make this eerie ‘blue whirl’|Emily Conover|August 12, 2020|Science News
The dying are deceived by the chemical whirl of “a dying brain.”
Eben Alexander Has a GPS for Heaven|Patricia Pearson|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I never lifted a brush before, I never mixed a paint, so I gave it a whirl.
Dubya’s Portraits of Tony Blair and Vladimir Putin Are Just as Genius as You Hoped|Ann Binlot|April 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A whirl of activity on and off the slopes, Kathy heads the local chapter of Disabled Sports, Eastern Sierra region.
Homefront Veterans: Skiing With Wounded Warriors|John Kael Weston|February 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ted Widmer on the whirl of celebrity and policy that dance across the pages.
The Man with the President’s Ear, Arthur Schlesinger Jr. and JFK|Ted Widmer|October 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Sajed fearlessly slapped on the rollerblades to give them a whirl, and a skater was born.
If You Build It, They Will Skate|Maysoon Zayid|July 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Then dawn flung itself impetuously across the hills, and the naked rim of the canyon took form in a shifting whirl of smoke.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
They are, however, much less energetic, and often of greater size than the hurricane whirl.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
They could revel in the rugged measures of ‘Marmion,’ in the whirl and clatter of the ‘Last Minstrel.’
A Cursory History of Swearing|Julian Sharman
Fragments were spun off the whirl of people, bits of BSG uniforms torn off their wearers and tossed like confetti.
The Great Potlatch Riots|Allen Kim Lang
Her life at this time was a whirl of excitement—excitement of the keenest order—namely, trying on.
With Edged Tools|Henry Seton Merriman

British Dictionary definitions for whirl

whirl

/ (wɜːl) /

verb

to spin, turn, or revolve or cause to spin, turn, or revolve

(intr) to turn around or away rapidly

(intr) to have a spinning sensation, as from dizziness, etc

to move or drive or be moved or driven at high speed

noun

the act or an instance of whirling; swift rotation or a rapid whirling movement

a condition of confusion or giddinessher accident left me in a whirl

a swift round, as of events, meetings, etc

a tumult; stir

informal a brief trip, dance, etc

give something a whirl informal to attempt or give a trial to something

Derived forms of whirl

whirler, nounwhirling, adjectivewhirlingly, adverb

Word Origin for whirl

C13: from Old Norse hvirfla to turn about; related to Old High German wirbil whirlwind

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with whirl

whirl

see give something a whirl.

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whirl

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

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Origin of whirl

OTHER WORDS FROM whirl

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Example sentences from the Web for whirl

British Dictionary definitions for whirl

verb

noun

Derived forms of whirl

Word Origin for whirl

Idioms and Phrases with whirl

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

whirl

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

noun

SYNONYMS FOR whirl

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON PARENTHESES AND BRACKETS APLENTY!

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Origin of whirl

OTHER WORDS FROM whirl

Words nearby whirl

Words related to whirl

Example sentences from the Web for whirl

British Dictionary definitions for whirl

verb

noun

Derived forms of whirl

Word Origin for whirl

Idioms and Phrases with whirl